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Overwatch director defends new DPS hero against fans complaining over role variety
Overwatch director Aaron Keller has defended making Hudson, the game’s 55th hero, a damage character after some players hoped the newcomer would add to the support roster. He said the team changed Hudson’s role during development because the character’s kit worked far better as damage, and that releasing a hero the developers believe in mattered more than balancing the number of heroes in each role.
Hudson was first developed as a support hero, but testing the damage version brought an immediate change in the team’s view, Keller said. The roster currently has 23 damage heroes, compared with 16 supports and 15 tanks, prompting concern from players who want more role variety. Hudson is due to arrive in Season 6 in December; the article also notes that Symmetra and Sombra have previously changed roles.
In short
- Hudson shifted from support to damage during development.
- Overwatch has 23 damage heroes, versus 16 supports and 15 tanks.
- Keller says the team prioritised making a character it believed in.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The strongest case for Hudson as a damage hero is that a character’s role should follow what their abilities do best, and the team’s testing suggested the damage version made for a more compelling hero. Releasing a character the developers believe in may serve players better than choosing a role mainly to even out the roster counts.
The case against
The strongest case for making Hudson a support is that the game already has substantially more damage heroes than supports, so another damage release may deepen an imbalance players experience in team composition and role choice. A new support could broaden the roster where players say variety is most needed, and the fact that Hudson began as a support suggests the team had room to explore that direction.
Explained simply
Overwatch is a team-based game in which players choose heroes with different abilities. Each hero has one of three roles: damage heroes focus on attacking opponents, support heroes help their team, and tanks absorb pressure and protect teammates.
Aaron Keller is Overwatch’s director, and Hudson is the game’s 55th hero. The developers initially designed Hudson as a support, then changed the role to damage after testing the character’s abilities. Other heroes, including Symmetra and Sombra, have also changed roles during development.
The debate matters because the roles are unevenly represented: Overwatch has more damage heroes than supports or tanks. Some players want new heroes to add variety to the smaller groups, while the developers say a character’s abilities should determine its role.